Actors in movies speak of book clubs with a hint of derision, imagining some kind of group therapy for bored suburban housewives plying each other with alcohol before noon.

But for some, myself included, book clubs can be a source of deep joy, and even a life-affirming sense of identity! Our book club helps us live lives in pursuit of truth and beauty, and if that isn’t the definition of art, then I don’t know what is.

In pre-pandemic times, our book club met once a month in a coffee shop and gave informal book reports, which could be formal (complete with a slide deck!) or informal (reading aloud favorite passages with passion).

When the pandemic happened, we brought our meetings online. And BOOM! We were able to meet people from all over the country (and even abroad)! Discussions became more fruitful, and it was comforting to know that, while many avenues of daily life closed, this digital door opened up. Our online meetings became a monthly highlight, with several of us treating ourselves to overpriced coffee deliveries or a rare snack delivered from a favorite cafe, to mark the special occasion of the monthly book session. Our longing for connection was met, with like-minded folks who sometimes disagreed on which author’s book was best, but always listened to each other with respect. Hearing friends rave about books we never planned on buying ourselves was like digesting Cliffs Notes of books outside our reading comfort zones, even prompting some of us to order books from local sellers (who in turn, started selling their wares online as well)!

Our group chats were filled with links to online book sales, images of book mail received, and so much good cheer that meant the world to those of us reeling from personal and professional loss. Forget book piles: we had book PYRAMIDS!

Bookstagram was elevated to an art form. No longer was it acceptable to post the mere cover on Insta. We competed as to who could make the ideal book-snack pairing, matching color schemes of cover designs to scarves and carpets, and of course: breathtaking geographic landscapes. When physical travel became impossible, we traversed incredible distances and lived multiple lives through the stories we read.

With the pandemic came growth. And with recent re-openings, we found ourselves embracing hybrid book sessions: some members meeting up in our favorite cafes, with laptop and speakers in tow, eagerly waving at our friends from far-away places in the same Google Meet.

Despite coming from different backgrounds and geographic locations, with members from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, we found ourselves agreeing on the most fundamental values. We found comfort and solace knowing that we were not alone in our dreams and aspirations.

For at its core, a book club is about that precious sense of community. Souls gravitate to spaces, whether online or physical, where we felt seen and acknowledged. While reading is a quiet activity, it need not be a solitary one. It is no accident that our national hero was a reader and a writer. Rizal’s biggest accomplishment was creating the Filipino, a member of a community, a new country. And in a vast archipelago like the Philippines, with nationhood comprising of an imagined community, we should not underestimate the power of small groups bent on changing the world one reader, one thinker at a time.

Here’s to books, friendship, and technology, and embracing the transformative possibilities they offer!